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By Baylor Montoya

LaFayette High School fell to Bullock County High School 20-14 Friday in a defensive battle that came down to the wire.

After receiving the first half kickoff, LaFayette threw an interception on their opening drive. However, the Bulldogs responded by forcing an interception of their own to take the ball back.

Bullock County’s defense wasn’t giving any ground however, and they immediately recorded another interception, this time returning it to the end zone for their first touchdown of the game. A successful 2-point conversion made the score 8-0 halfway through the first quarter.

The Bulldog offense came out swinging, driving to within 5 yards on a deep pass to Tymarrion Brewer. They couldn’t convert however, turning the ball over on downs shortly after, ending the first quarter with a score of 8-0.

After the break, the Bulldogs recovered another botched snap, this time on a punt attempt with Delmarius Washington recovering the ball deep in Hornet territory. LaFayette cashed in shortly after on a touchdown pass from Tae Towles, and the successful 2-point attempt tied the game 8-8 early in the second quarter.

The two squads traded possessions for the rest of the half, and after a late second quarter touchdown pass from Towles to Julian Robinson was called back due to holding, the clock expired, with the score still knotted at 8-8.

The Bulldogs started the second half strong, forcing a punt to get the ball back early in the third quarter and drove down the field quickly.

Their drive ended early after an interception was returned 102 yards for a Hornet touchdown, making the score 14-8 after the missed extra point near the end of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter would begin with excitement, as a Bullock County punt hit a teammate in the helmet and was returned shortly after for a touchdown by Brewer to even the score at 14-14 with less than 10 minutes to play.

Bullock County would respond on its next drive, scoring a rushing touchdown to make the score 20-14. The Bulldogs failed to score on their next drive, turning the ball over on downs with four minutes to play, but the Bulldog defense forced a turnover of their own with 1:42 left and a chance to take the lead. After putting together a short drive, LHS threw an interception to end the game.

A big factor in the game was an injury to quarterback Tae Towles.

“When you lose your number one quarterback, and he can run most of your offense, it hurts you,” said LaFayette Head Coach Juan Williams.

The Bulldog defense played very well, only giving up one offensive touchdown to the Hornets.

“We’re getting there, were getting better, our defense is getting better,” Williams said. “We’ve just got to keep working.”

LaFayette (0-2) will look to get in the win column next week as they play Reeltown at home for their first region matchup of the season.